What to do? J3bus.

kcult

kcult

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Or I could be behind the curve.

So, I have two sources of pasture raised beef, and one of those will be processing pork soon, a couple of ponds, and access to nearly 1000 acres of land that can be hunted for deer and hogs. Some of that land had been farmed in the past.

As I near retirement and wondering if we're on the brink of a collapse, what can I reasonably do to maintain?

Buy a tractor? Expand my chicken coop? Grow my own Ivermectin bushes?

I told my wife tonight that the one thing I worried about when looking at the headlines, was food. She laughed. I clarified by saying supplies. I don't (please no) think we're heading for a total meltdown, but I don't want to kill my neighbors for their pantry stocks.

This message was brought to you by whiskey, and the letter F.

Zeus save the republic.
 
If it does get as bad as some predict , it will be the worst the world has ever seen.
Not real sure you can plan for that as it will be an ever changing environment.
 
Walkabout Dan said:
If it does get as bad as some predict , it will be the worst the world has ever seen.
Not real sure you can plan for that as it will be an ever changing environment.
Click to expand...

I do not disagree, but I want to plan for at least a mild collapse. The kind where I don't need to go to IGA and hope to survive.
 
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Living off just the land will be next to impossible , even short term. Very quickly the concentrations of people in the cities will flood into the country
looking for food. These could be quite large groups . It will be like when our ancestors came to this country , a fight for everything.
 
The crazy part is we had a very similar event happen during the Great Depression. While people were a whole lot more respectful, I am more than surprised there was not a lot more violence. People are strange. Maybe with the "I deserve everything" culture will lash out but once they get out of the cities I assume there will be a whole bunch of people with gear itching for a target rich environment. Plus, the inner city will kill off all of the liberal surroundings and then fight each other before moving out which would severely reduce their numbers.
 
Johnny said:
I'm watching Zombieland: Double tap, for research purposes.
Click to expand...
My guess for a closer reality would the The Road.

Edit: While Harrelson carries both movies and I do love them, it kills me that everyone is clean and the females are wearing makeup. Really?
 
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My grandmother told me that when she was a kid during the Depression that their root cellar was broken into, that their German Shepherd was poisoned & that her dad had to pull guard duty at night to keep folks outta their garden & away from their chickens.

It'll be even uglier this go 'round.
 
Crazy Carl said:
My grandmother told me that when she was a kid during the Depression that their root cellar was broken into, that their German Shepherd was poisoned & that her dad had to pull guard duty at night to keep folks outta their garden & away from their chickens.

It'll be even uglier this go 'round.
Click to expand...

Wow.
 
Crazy Carl said:
My grandmother told me that when she was a kid during the Depression that their root cellar was broken into, that their German Shepherd was poisoned & that her dad had to pull guard duty at night to keep folks outta their garden & away from their chickens.

It'll be even uglier this go 'round.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I expect a lot of this. Not so much big groups walking down the interstate to the countryside.
They will be sneaky and nefarious at night.
 
Build you a small greenhouse. I’m working on two feedlot panel houses(videos on YouTube) to grow some things in the winter, and to start your own garden plants in.

Prepare you a good garden spot. This is my second year doing a garden and we racked up the food, this year. Learn to can and preserve food if you don’t already know how. I’m also looking for a couple of those 275 gallon containers. Once I find some they’ll be rigged up to catch gutter water and a 12v pump implemented to water things.

Stock your pantry . Every time you go to the store, buy extra. There’s a closet full of mountain house and other food here at my house. And a closet full at moms, along with everything we canned from the garden. Get a food saver to vacuum seal things you buy that will last longer if vacuum sealed, like noodles. Check the dates on everything you buy and always get the stuff that has the farthest date. While the dates have to be there and stuff will usually last a lot longer, every little bit helps. I’d also like to have a freeze dryer. Doing so would eliminate the need for a
Freezer.

Get some solar panels. This is where I’m lacking. I have 5 100watt panels , a 400w wind generator, a charge control and an inverter. But I lack batteries. If money was no object I’d get a 12v freezer and a 12v well pump. The pumps can be had for less than $200. The freezers are about $1500 for a small one.

Get a driveway alarm if you don’t have one for places where others would likely try to enter.

Build a fence around your garden to help protect from food loss due to animals. That’s next on my agenda this fall if we make it that far.

Stock up on fish antibiotics. Hygiene supplies, toiletries, and meds that your dr will give you extra on.
Keep trade fodder. Tobacco, cigarette tubes, whiskey, etc.

This is just a small suggestion list. And while others may not agree with the things I’ve suggested here. You can use these ideas as a start and tailor your needs to suit you and your family.
 
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I too am down this rabbit hole, at least in heavy planning stages as we are looking for a house further out from civilization right now. Water is at the top of the list, whether it be naturally running or well that you can power yourself without an operating grid, or catching run-off. Make sure water is covered first. As far as food goes, make yourself intimately familiar with the game in your area, and effective methods of trapping those game. This is where ethics goes out the window and effectiveness becomes the most important part. Put up seeds and as much long term food storage as possible. As far as power goes, I would recommend looking into a wood gas generator setup. on top of the solar previously recommended. I have acquired most all of the parts to put mine together once we do find the land we're after. The benefit of a wood gas system is that if you have a wood source nearby you can use that to generate power in a low tech way. These were really popular in europe during WW2.
 
The farther out you live the more security you need. You can't stay awake 24/7. The farther out you get the ability to access medical care lessons.

If you have access to the land so does everybody else.

What scenarios are you planning for? If you say the end of the world, stop here cause it is useless. Start with local stuff, then state stuff, then regional stuff and then country stuff.

The older you get the less you can do. I will argue that with anyone. Establish some type of relationships that you can count on when you need to.

Start a spreadsheet so you can inventory what you have and what you need for various scenarios.

Remember that knowledge will trump having stuff always.



Establish a library of real books or printed .pdf's. Start with these at a minimum. If you don't have electricity you can't search the interwebs. Spend the money, buy the books.

Amazon.com

www.amazon.com

Lights Out: Crawford, David: 9780615427355: Amazon.com: Books

Lights Out [Crawford, David] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Lights Out
www.amazon.com

Amazon.com

www.amazon.com

https://www.bookseriesinorder.com/a-american/ Get them all.

LDS Preparedness Manual: Christopher M. Parrett: 9780982194645: Amazon.com: Books

LDS Preparedness Manual [Christopher M. Parrett] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. LDS Preparedness Manual
www.amazon.com

https://www.amazon.com/gp/bookseries/B00CJDHL4Y/ Get them all.

Amazon.com

www.amazon.com
 
Also. Propane. If you have a black stone or propane grill or smoker, keep several tanks on hand. I’ve been lucky enough to collect about 15 of the 20lb tanks. That’s a lot of cooking time if there’s no power
 
kcult said:
Or I could be behind the curve.

So, I have two sources of pasture raised beef, and one of those will be processing pork soon, a couple of ponds, and access to nearly 1000 acres of land that can be hunted for deer and hogs. Some of that land had been farmed in the past.

As I near retirement and wondering if we're on the brink of a collapse, what can I reasonably do to maintain?

Buy a tractor? Expand my chicken coop? Grow my own Ivermectin bushes?

I told my wife tonight that the one thing I worried about when looking at the headlines, was food. She laughed. I clarified by saying supplies. I don't (please no) think we're heading for a total meltdown, but I don't want to kill my neighbors for their pantry stocks.

This message was brought to you by whiskey, and the letter F.

Zeus save the republic.
Click to expand...

Ok, here‘smy plan. The wife is not on board but screw her.

Identify hippie mountain community. Buy house/land nearby. When collapse happens, go steal all their stuff since they are unarmed. And they have nice gardens. Still need to fish or hunt for meat but it is a start. Simple. 😇
 
Walkabout Dan said:
Living off just the land will be next to impossible , even short term. Very quickly the concentrations of people in the cities will flood into the country
looking for food. These could be quite large groups . It will be like when our ancestors came to this country , a fight for everything.
Click to expand...

City folk won‘t make it far. They will either be out of shape and fade fast or get killed at some point. Stay far enough away and the bigger problems will be the local meth heads until they are all killed off.
 
Burt Gummer said:
Build you a small greenhouse. I’m working on two feedlot panel houses(videos on YouTube) to grow some things in the winter, and to start your own garden plants in.

Prepare you a good garden spot. This is my second year doing a garden and we racked up the food, this year. Learn to can and preserve food if you don’t already know how. I’m also looking for a couple of those 275 gallon containers. Once I find some they’ll be rigged up to catch gutter water and a 12v pump implemented to water things.

Stock your pantry . Every time you go to the store, buy extra. There’s a closet full of mountain house and other food here at my house. And a closet full at moms, along with everything we canned from the garden. Get a food saver to vacuum seal things you buy that will last longer if vacuum sealed, like noodles. Check the dates on everything you buy and always get the stuff that has the farthest date. While the dates have to be there and stuff will usually last a lot longer, every little bit helps. I’d also like to have a freeze dryer. Doing so would eliminate the need for a
Freezer.

Get some solar panels. This is where I’m lacking. I have 5 100watt panels , a 400w wind generator, a charge control and an inverter. But I lack batteries. If money was no object I’d get a 12v freezer and a 12v well pump. The pumps can be had for less than $200. The freezers are about $1500 for a small one.

Get a driveway alarm if you don’t have one for places where others would likely try to enter.

Build a fence around your garden to help protect from food loss due to animals. That’s next on my agenda this fall if we make it that far.

Stock up on fish antibiotics. Hygiene supplies, toiletries, and meds that your dr will give you extra on.
Keep trade fodder. Tobacco, cigarette tubes, whiskey, etc.

This is just a small suggestion list. And while others may not agree with the things I’ve suggested here. You can use these ideas as a start and tailor your needs to suit you and your family.
Click to expand...

Greenhouse is a great idea. We have about a 1 acre field at the cabin. I should plan that. Although it is about 300 yards from the house and would be tough to protect. Still a good plan. We are at least a little remote with few neighbors.
 
Burt Gummer said:
Also. Propane. If you have a black stone or propane grill or smoker, keep several tanks on hand. I’ve been lucky enough to collect about 15 of the 20lb tanks. That’s a lot of cooking time if there’s no power
Click to expand...

I have woods, fire pits and a smoker/grill I can run on wood. I am hoping that’ll work. Not perfect, but I don‘t need to replenish propane in a long term crap show. Oh, and a fireplace and a stash of cast iron. I should be able to cook some stuff ok.
 
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CZfool68 said:
I have woods, fire pits and a smoker/grill I can run on wood. I am hoping that’ll work. Not perfect, but I don‘t need to replenish propane in a long term crap show. Oh, and a fireplace and a stash of cast iron. I should be able to cook some stuff ok.
Click to expand...
I have all of that also, and I didn’t say anything about replenishment of the propane. Once it’s gone it’s gone. But as I said in my above post, every little bit helps 😉
 
NC Rob said:
The crazy part is we had a very similar event happen during the Great Depression. While people were a whole lot more respectful, I am more than surprised there was not a lot more violence. People are strange. Maybe with the "I deserve everything" culture will lash out but once they get out of the cities I assume there will be a whole bunch of people with gear itching for a target rich environment. Plus, the inner city will kill off all of the liberal surroundings and then fight each other before moving out which would severely reduce their numbers.
Click to expand...
I tell you this. i don't have much.
but what i got is mine.
if rule of law goes out the window, so do my manners.
 
on a blog about the Argentinian economic melt-down of 2001,
a guy who was there and lived through it (FerFal ) said the one
thing his wife said she wished they had stocked more of: food.

quote:
"So, start with a couple weeks worth of stockpiled food. Work towards a month. Then 6 when you can afford it and have the room for it.
6 to 12 months is the maximum I would recommend, with 6 months being the most realistic objective for most people.
Six months of food gives you plenty of time for things such as unemployment, family problems.
12 months helps greatly when dealing with inflated prices, food shortages, and overall instability...."

SURVIVING IN ARGENTINA

Life in Argentina after the 2001 crisis.
ferfal.blogspot.com ferfal.blogspot.com
 
Freeze dryers are nice but expensive. Poor man's alternative is dehydrating. Dehydrate and store in vacuum sealed jars. If you can get small o2 absorbers pop them in the jar.

You can also grind dehydrated veg into powder and reconstitute. We can get 20 to 25 pounds of tomatoes into a quart jar that way. Use for tomato paste or sauce; add to soups etc.
 
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